Honoring Harvey Chaplin’s Lifetime of Achievement

In the course of a given workday, hammering away at Blackberrys, crunching numbers, sweating to predict the next brand to supply the next demand, it can be pretty difficult for many of us to take a breath and realize that actually the spirits industry is amazingly simple. Well, at least the concepts that drive it are. Sure, the complexities of consumer research, testing, logistics and projections and making them all flow seamlessly is no simple matter, but after more than 60 years in both the supplier and distribution tiers, the big picture, to one man, boils down to basic truths. “The key to wholesaling in this industry is servicing customers on- and offpremise and servicing suppliers through effective marketing, merchandising and selling of their brands,” says Harvey R. Chaplin, CEO of Southern Wine & Spirits of America Inc., which operates in 29 states, employs more than 10,500 team members and widely is  recognized as an industry-leading wine and spirits distributor. “That’s been the philosophy of Southern dating back to our inception.” Oxford Publishing Inc., host of International Hospitality Week in Las Vegas February 24-27, will present Chaplin with the Lifetime Achievement Award at its Five Star Awards at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26, at Caesars Palace. Chaplin’s lifetime so far has been one of incredible success and one that has seen decades of change and, at the same time, commonality in the industry. It has imbued Chaplin with that one most powerful possession that no ambitious young wheeler and dealer can buy: wisdom.

From Mailroom to Boardroom
In 1946, Chaplin graduated from Brooklyn’s Boys High School, and he’d already begun his career in the wine and spirits industry, having landed a part-time position in the mailroom at Schenley Industries Inc., whose offices then were located in Manhattan. At that time, Schenley was a leading distilled spirits marketer, as well as the American importer of Dewar’s White Label Scotch. Chaplin didn’t seek this particular job out of a specific interest in wine and spirits. It just happened to be available, and he, like most people, was quite interested in being able to eat on a daily basis, so it was a fit. But it was this mailroom gig that would kick-start one of the most powerful careers in wine and spirits history. “When working for Schenley I was exposed to the industry,” Chaplin says. “You deliver mail to the executives and you talk about the industry. Eventually as things opened up, I was promoted. I was a young guy looking for a future.” Chaplin refers to his time at Schenley as his “college education.” There he worked his way up to become assistant director of marketing at the company.

Never Stop Learning
Chaplin’s “graduate school” degree came from his work as a distributor in upstate New York from 1961 to 1968, where he ran wholesale operations in Buffalo, Rochester and Albany. In 1969, Chaplin joined Southern Wine & Spirits of America, along with other founding executives. Prior to becoming chairman and CEO in 1994, Chaplin served in several senior executive roles. He recalls that his first critical challenge at Southern Wine & Spirits was to “straighten out” the company’s newly acquired Southern California distributorship. “The most important thing I did was to change the corporate business philosophy there,” Chaplin recalls. “It was not exactly profitable when I arrived, and it had to be fixed from the bottom up. I spent two months reorganizing it; we brought in brand new people and we focused on improving our relationships with suppliers. And once we straightened out Southern California, we were able to expand to the north, years later.” In particular, Chaplin is known for his deep concern for the needs of both sets of Southern Wine & Spirits’ “customers” — the suppliers who rely upon Southern’s brand stewardship and distribution reach and the retailers who require efficient service and promotional support. “My philosophy as the leader of the ‘middle tier’ has been one of close cooperation with both of the other tiers of our industry,” Chaplin says. “We all need one another to foster our industry’s progress.” Carrying this maxim out isn’t complicated, Chaplin says, since the motives of those involved are so simple. “Retailers are interested in carrying good brands and making a profit, like any other business,” he says. But, he does note that the retail scene has changed during his career. “In New York there are no chains; in other states there are major chains. The Costcos and Safeways and Wal-Marts of this world are all a different business, and you have to adjust to it, which we’ve done. We’re in a lot of states and we manage our business locally, with corporate supervision.” And, the landscape for spirits is everchanging and ever-growing. “There are trends and new brands, and every day somebody has a new idea, which is really wonderful,” Chaplin says. “That’s what keeps everything alive and well the concept of new products and brands. Don’t forget that the age bracket of the consumer changes. People in college go on to consume different things than their father and his father. This dynamic is good for business.” Chaplin shares credit for the success Southern Wine & Spirits of America has become over the decades. For example, he says the company’s first comptroller, Herbert Joseph, played a critical role in the company’s early success. Chaplin is equally unstinting in his praise of Jay Weiss, one of the company’s founders who passed away in 2004, and Mel Dick, who is the company’s senior vice president and president of the wine division. He says, “Jay was and Mel is among the most notable wine and spirits executives in the United States, and their strength always has been their people skills.” Looking forward, Chaplin is excited to see the company progress under the leadership of his son Wayne. “Wayne has worked in every aspect of the business, has great vision and intellect and understands what it takes to continue Southern’s success in this industry long into the future,” Chaplin says proudly.

Helping Others
Along with his family and company, Chaplin is very supportive of many international, national and local charities. In particular, for many years, he has been associated closely with Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Sylvester Cancer Center, the Nor-Isle Optimist Club and Temple Beth Shalom all in South Florida. Chaplin also has been a generous contributor to the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. In the United States, he served as a founding contributor to The Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center, which is an integral part of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami. The Center also is supported by generous grants from many other wine and spirits supplier partners. Chaplin is the recipient of many business and community awards and honors, including the Mt. Sinai Medical Center honor he and his wife Roberta shared in March, 2005 at the 50th Anniversary celebration of the hospital; in October 2004, he was named a “South Florida Legend” by South Florida CEO magazine; in 2003, he was honored as “Man of the Year” by the Weizmann Institute of Science; and in 2001, Market Watch magazine named him “Industry Man of the Year.” Also, FIU created the first Eminent Scholar Chair in Beverage Management Studies in the United States and named the chair in honor of Chaplin. In 2005, Chaplin also was honored by the Sky Ranch Foundation, inducting him into its Hall of Fame. The foundation, supported by individuals as well as suppliers, distributors, retailers and allied organizations in the wine, spirits and beer industries, funds care and education for troubled teens at Sky Ranch for Boys.